Change of mood

My antennae  detect a new aggressive anti-Tory mood.

I had a weekend of attending a string of social events. It's very early in the honeymoon of a new parliament to hear bitter demands of 'When are we going to get rid of them?'  The anti-Poll tax anger came late in the life of the Thatcher regime. Cameron has  been there for only eight months but public disbelief and anger is welling up.

Tuition fees is a main issue, from 'My kids won't get to University at this rate' to deep anger at benefit and pensions cuts. The perception of an anti-Welsh bias from the Government is growing. The Lib-Dems are routinely dismissed as 'finished'.

The future will reveal the damage of housing benefits and pension changes. Last week I asked the new Secretary of State for Social Security:

Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab): If a private company alters its contractual obligations to pay its customers, it is likely to end up in court on a charge of fraud. The Secretary of State admits that CPI increases at a slower rate than RPI. Is not the measure just a simple theft of money from pensioners?

Steve Webb: No, it is not. Each year the Secretary of State has a duty to assess the general increase in prices; that is what the law requires him to do. If the law required him to link state pensions, for example, to RPI, that would be a different matter, but that is not the duty. The duty is to assess inflation fairly, which is what we are doing. I also announced today that, when companies have RPI written into their rules and no provision for changing those rules, the Government will not allow schemes to change them, precisely for the sorts of reasons that the hon. Gentleman mentions.

Time will tell. Cheating pensioners could be the slippery slope for electoral rejection of the Tories.

 

Magnum Mysterium

A splendid Christmas Concert was given by Newport Philharmonic Choir last night.

Under the inspired, well informed, good humoured  musical direction of Guy Harbottle it was a joyous blend of the traditional and novel. For the first time readings of favourite Christmas stories were presented by choir members with beautiful reading voices. One intriguing carol, that was entirely new to all of the audience, was  Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen. I am searching for a recording of it to serenade me on my journeys up the M4. The Philharmonic Choir demonstrated their skills by singing this  difficult piece beautifully.

The choir is always on the lookout for new male singers. contact www.nptphil,org.uk or tel 01633 782215.

 

Confidence unlimited

There was a time when School Christmas  concerts consisted of endless repetitions of 'We Three Kings of Orient Are'.

The concert at Malpas  Court School this week was tour de force more reminiscent of a West End production in the demands on the childrens'  skills.

The teachers and children deserve warm congratulations on this tour-de-force. The children have remarkable confidence and the production proved their diligence in mastering original words and music. It was gratifying to see how all the children were included in the production.

Ardderchog! Nadolig Llawen.

 

 

Choice

What will parliament fret about next week?

Will the Coalition prioritise Cancun over a middle aged woman being poked with a stick?  A brain-injured student or a damaged flag? The new false swine flu scare or the mass drugging of the elderly in residential homes? An American religious fruitcake or six americans soldiers killed?

The trivial will probably win.

 

Comments

[Jordan All Day]

Admire you!

[plashing vole]

The Nordic Chamber Choir recording of O Magnum Mysterium is really good.

[Richard T]

There is a case for the Home Secretary to conclude that a visit from an American politician who has called for the assassination of an Australian citizen for un American conduct would not be conducive to the public good. This preacher is a fool; this politician looks a lot like a neo fascist demagogue.